Calliope



J. A. SYLVIA Aug. zo, `1929.

cALLIo'PE Filed April 22, 1926 i INVENTOR zdyw ATTORNEYy 1 Patented Aug. 20, 1929.

JOSEPH A. SYLVIA, OF ALAMEDA, CALIFORNIA.

CALLIOPE.

Application lled April 22, 1926. Serial No. 103,860.

My invention relates to calliopes, and it has special reference to a calliope in which an improved mechanism is provided for operating the valves to the pipes or whistles by the depression of the keys in the keyboard.

Much eifort has heretofore been required for operating the valves in calliopes on account of valve control through a system of tubing. In such calliopes the air travels a comparatively long distance through the tubing before it acts on the whistles, thus, action on the whistles is not instantaneous with the remote valve action and therefore the playing on the instrument-s is more or less unsatisfactory due to the delayed whistle action. Also, the crisscrossing of the tubes requires a maximum space and causes confusion in the assembling of the calliopes. As a result the manufacturingr cost of the instruments is high and the instruments are cumbersome and heavy.

One object of my invention is to connect the whistles directly with the air chest and to provide a mechanism whereby the valves are controlled instantaneously and with a minimum of effort by but slight depression of the keys in the keyboard.

Another object is to construct a calliope of a minimum number of parts and to arrange the parts within a minimum space so as to facilitate the assembling of the instrument and thus materially reduce its cost of production.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will be understood from the following detailed description having reference to the accompanying drawings, in which a preferred embodimentof the invention is illustrated and in which:

Figure 1 is an end elevation of the invention, certain parts being in section and others broken away in order to show the construction and arrangement of essential parts and the valve-operating mechanism;

2 is a front view of a portion of the air chest and the whistles connected therewith, part of the chest being broken away so as to show the valves and the flexible means for operating them; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmental, sectional view, analogous to Fig. 1, but on a larger scale, in order to more clearly show the lower part ot a whistle, its valve construction and a part of the operating means for the valve.

At the top of a colliope, of which only the parts having reference to my invention are shown, I arrange an air chest 5, to which air is supplied under pressure through any suitable connection 6 from a source of supply, not shown. Upright whistle pipes 7 of a number correspondingl with the required range of the instrument are directly secured at their lower ends to the top of the air chest in any suitable manner so as to be in direct communication with the air chest. These whistles are of a usual construction and may be arranged in parallel rows according to their diameters, and each of the whistle pipes has therein a plunger 8, as shown in Fig. 1, adjusted to a certain depth in order to determine the tone of the whistle.

Longitudinally of the air chest and in front of each row of whistles I mount a beam 9 provided with a longitudinal recess 10 toward the whistles. Each of the latter' has a tube 11 extending downward into the air chest to a level with the recess. Under each tube 11 is a valve 12 provided with au upper sealing portion 13 of a softmaterial, such as felt, for engagement with the end of the tube, and with an extension 14, which reaches into the recess and has suitably scoured on its underside one end of a hinge member 15 of a flexible material, such as soft leather, while the other end of the hinge member is secured to the underside of the beam 9 so as to allow the valve extension to swing freely in the recess. A coil spring 16 is at` its lower end suitabl)v secured to the upper side of each extension and at its upper end to the underside of the top of the air chest, so that normally the valve is thereby held in aclosed position relative to its respective whistle, as shown in full lines in Fig. 2 or in dotted lines in Fi l.

A keyboard 1G is arranged below the air chest and extends in front thereof and each of the keys 17 in the keyboard is preferably pivot-ed far enough rearward, as at 18, to provide a long leverage and thereby assure an easy manipulation of the keys, and a usual stop member 19 having on its underside a pad 20 is provided longitudinally of the keyboard for limiting the upward movement of the keys. The keys are normally held in their extreme upward or non-operative position by respective springs 21 suitably retained in engagement with the underside of the keys.

For operatively connecting the keys with the valves the lower end of a cord 22 is attached to the upper side of each key at a suitable point below the air chest, and the Vupper end of the cord is attached to the underside of t-he valve for the respective whistle. In the bottom of the air chest are apertures perpendicularly arranged under the respective valves. The cords pass through the respective apertures, and in each aperture is packing means 23 of any suitable material for preventing the escape of air therethrough around the cord. Fixed longitudinally to and under the bottom of the air chest and adjacent to the respective rows of apertures are beams 2d, on which are mounted respective pulleys 25 or the like so arranged that the cords pass virtually perpendicularly from the valves to the pulleys and around and under them. From the pulleys 25 the cords pass respectively over and around other suit-ably located pulleys 26, which may be mounted on the inside of a longitudinal securing member 27 fixed under and at the front of the air chest so that the cords pass virtually perpendicularly from the pulleys 26 to the respective keys.

then a key is depressed, it pulls on the respective cord and thereby opens the valve for the respective whistle against the action of the coil spring 16, thus permitting air to pass directly from the air chest to the whistle, and, when the pressure on the key is released, the said spring restores the valve to its normally closed position Jfor the whistle, while the spring 2l for the key at the same time returns the key to its non-operative position against the pad on the stop member 19.

It is seen from the foregoing that my 1nvention includes very simple, yet efficient, means tor actuating the valves of a calliope and that an instantaneous delivery of a full volume of air to the whistles is always assured by the arrangement of the whistles directly on top of the air chest.

`From the foregoing description taken 1n connection with the accompanying drawings the advantages of the constrution and method of operation will be readily under-u stood by those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and while I have described the principle of operation, to-V gether with the device which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the device shown is merely illustrative and that such changes may be made when desired, as all within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent ot' the United States the following:

l. In a Calliope, the combination of an air chest with a plurality of whistles directly secured to and communicating with the air chest; a valve for each whistle; a spring `for normally closing each valve; a keyboard; and flexible means 'operatively connecting the keys of the keyboard with the valves for the respective whistles, said flexible means being so disposed as to act axially ot each whistle.

2. In a calliope having a keyboard and an air chest, a plurality orn whistles directly secured to and inV communication with said air chest, valves within said air chest for controlling admission of air to each whistle, springs for normally holding said valves closed, and tlexible tensile members fastened at one end to each valve and operatively connected at their other ends to the corresponding keys of the keyboard whereby rigid compression members are eliminated between the valves and keys.

8. In a Calliope having a keyboard and an air chest, a plurality of whistles directly secured to and in communication with said air chest, valves within said air chest for controlling admission o air to each whistle, springs for normally holding said valves closed, and yielding tensile members connecting the valves to the corresponding keys of the keyboard whereby velvety key action is secured.

In testimony whereof, I aiiX my signature.

JOSEPH A. SYLVIA. 

